Hummus the Dip Everybody Loves

A friend of mine asked me why make home made hummus?  It is pretty cheap and easily available.  He's half right, but home made tastes better and does not have any food additives or preservatives.  It takes about 15 minutes to prepare and this recipe makes enough for two dipping bowls.  The bowl on the left is Roasted Red Pepper hummus and on the right Classic Hummus.  I have made two batches in the last week to share with friends and both bowls came back empty.

Two kinds of Fresh Humms

Classic Hummus
Combine ingredients in a blender or medium bowl:
	1 can (19oz/540ml) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
	1/3 Cup (80ml) Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
	1/3 Cup (80ml) Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
	2 TBSP (30ml) Tahini
	2 Garlic Cloves
	1/2 TSP Ground Cumin
	1/2 TSP Salt
	1/2 TSP Pepper
Steps:
	1) Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.  If using an immersion blender I would add the chick peas in batches.
	2) Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with toasted pita pieces, baguette, crackers or veggies.

Additions and Variations:

• My wife's favorite variation is to add 1/2 marinated roasted Red Pepper drained and diced and 1 green onion sliced to the hummus.  This also looks festive with the red and green colours.
• My favorite variations is to add 1/4 TSP ground cumin (instead of 1/2 TSP ground cumin) and a 1/4 cup fresh dill.  Thus, you have Lemon-Dill hummus.
• Another variations is to add a 1/4 cup of drained finely chopped Sun-dried tomatoes and again I would add 1 green onion sliced.
• Lastly, if you are looking for a simple garnish than add chopped fresh Italian parsley on top of the hummus before serving.  

Ingredients for Making Hummus

Ingredients Combined prior to adding Chickpeas

Blending in the Chick Peas in Batches with an Immersion Blender

What I learned making this recipe:

• Tahini is a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds.  It is often used in North African, Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern cooking and is found in baba ghanoush and halva as well.  You can find it in a jar at most grocery stores typically next to almond butter and other nut butters. 

Thought? Comments? Suggestions?  Do you have a preferred variation of hummus?

Tomato and Chick Pea Salad

This Mediterranean style salad is great for summer and fall and is a proven winner with our friends and family. It is easily transportable for BBQs/picnics and keeps well a couple of days in the fridge.  This salad takes about 15 minutes to prepare depending on your knife skills and it serves 6 to 8 adults.

Tomato and Chick Pea Salad

Tomato and Chick Pea Salad
Combine Salad Ingredients in a Large Bowl:
	2 Cups Cherry or Grape Tomatoes halved
	1 Yellow Pepper diced
	1 Orange Pepper diced
	1 Can of Chick Peas (540ml) drained and rinsed
	200 grams of Feta Cheese in small cubes
	2 Shallots or 1/3 medium red onion finely diced
Combine Dressing Ingredients in Small Bowl or Measuring Cup:
	1/4 Cup Fresh Basil chopped
	1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
	2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
	1/2 TSP Ground Pepper
Steps:
	1) Combine above salad ingredients in large bowl.
	2) Combine dressing ingredients and stir to mix dressing.
	3) Poor dressing on salad.  Toss and serve.

Note: This recipe can be made hours ahead.  It is best to add the dressing prior to serving and keep the salad refrigerated because of the cheese.

Ingredients for Tomato and Chick Pea Salad

Salad Ready to be Tossed

Substitutions:

• If you don't like feta cheese you can substitute Mozzarella for a milder taste.
• I prefer cow milk Feta to goat milk Feta, it does not have as strong of a taste.
• You can use 4 medium tomatoes diced instead of cherry tomatoes, but you will have a far more liquid salad.

What I've learned in making this salad and salads like it:

• Basil always tastes better if fresh is used rather than dry.  Dry herbs can be substituted if necessary at 1/3 to fresh.
• Fresh squeezed lemon tastes far better than "RealLemon" and this product contains additives such as sodium benozate, sodium bisulfite and is from concentrate.